Electric furnace.



J. H. REID.

ELECTRIC FUBNAUIL, APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1909. 947,349; I Patented Feb. 1,1910.

2 sums-31mm 1.

F/ET. E. l/ J J. H. REID. ELECTRIC FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED my 8.1909.

Patented Feb. 1,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

OQ\ o m 0 .1 3 0 E W/ J l FIE". Q.

:ZNUEI'VTUH. .1. H. REID JAMES HENRY REID, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

, ELECTRIC FURNACE.

To all whom it may cancer-n:

it known that 1, JAMES HENRY REID, of Newark, in the State of New Jersey,

I UnitedrStates of America, have invented certain new and useful lmproven'ients in Electric Furnaces, of wh ch the following a specification.

My'invention'relates to improvements in electric furnaces, and the objects of my invention are to provide means ,forlr egulating the electrodes without undue loss of current, to provide means for retainingthe ore on v the electrodes until it has reached a determiiieddegree of fluidity, further t'o provide means to rece ve the ore from thee'lectrodes v, and SQbarate the lighter lfrom thej heavier coustitumits) The regulation of the electrodesis carried out by means," of galvanoineter needles having co-acting contact points 'by means of which :the current, through regulating motor, for controlling the inuwement of the electrodes, may. be I reversed in direction to inove the electrode eitherinwardlyor outwardly.

In. the particularen'ibodiment; of the invention illustrated, a longitudinally extending "fixed electrode is. provided, operating in combination with a plurality of adjustable electrodeson each side adaptecLto form a hopper toreceivethe ore, the space between the end of the adjustable Ielectrodes being-"such that only ore in a more or less v molten stateinay .pass.thro ugh, and the amount of; this distance may be automatic- [ally regulated by the means hereinafter described, jAftr the ore passes ,the'electrodes,

it is arranged to; drop directly' intofa ,queneh- 1 ing tankI-providediin the bottom oft-he fur:

nace, anduneans are there provided to separate the lighter from the heavier constitu .ents lnthe embodiment; illustrated, a shaker plate isprovidcdslightly below the I level of the surface of .the'liquid, and a continuous stream of liquid is maintained over thisshaker plate in a reverseidirection to the inclination thereof,wherebythe heavierconstituents wilhby gravity, pass down Ylighter constituents "will be carried: ofi' by the stream or; liquid." Allttliese" and other features of! the invention .are;,described here '1 matter in detail in the accompanying" 's'pfecithe shaker} plate ineone'direction, while the fication and drawing.

a In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the furnace; Fig.2 is

I ported on a metallic beam 10 the end walls 11 and 121 structure.

pinion 22 on the'shaft of the electrodes,

a transverse section through the same. Fig. 3 1s a plan view of the needles andface plates on the gal'vanonieter. Fig. at is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical connections.

In the drawings, like figures and. letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the'body portionof the furnace constructed of suitable materlal, such as masonry.

B represents the'l'ongitud1nallyextendlng fixed electrode, that 111 the embodiment lllUS- ,trated being horizontally disposed and supextending into f the masonry O and D represent the adjustable side electrodes, of which there may be any suitable number from a single pair upward; These electrodes are preferably inclined as indicated, whereby they will form a hopper to hold the ore during treatment. .Thejenda of these electrodes are adaptedto be maintained a constant distance from the sides of the electrode B'whereby When'the ore" reaches a desired degree of fluidity, it may pass through the space between. If desired, the electrode B may be "provided'with beveled faces 13 and Lt, adapted torece'ive the ends of the electrodes 0 and D. In order-to automatically maintain the electrodes this de- .ternnned dlstance apart, mechanical, {electrical regulating means are" provided. In the embodiment llustrated, these means comprise a shaft 15 having a screw-threaded section 16 engaged with a"co1lar11 7 'on"the -lectrod e, the opposite end of the' shaft beng, provided with a worm-18 which engages a worm pinion lt) on a shaft 20', which shaft has a beveled gear-'21 meshing witlra beveled an electric motor This electricimotor is preferably con- E. nected in shunt the 'current pas sing?through and the regulation isfleif'e cted by automat cally reversing the current move too far. 'lhenieans which Ihave devised to accomplish this are illustrated diagrammatically in Figs. 3 and ft. In these figures, Frepresents a galvanometer having *tWo synchronously operated needles (1 and b,

the face of the galvanometer being provided with serles of arcuate perforations c, d, e and arranged substantially in the pathet the Patented Feb. 1; 1910. i

whenever the.electrodes come too'ficlose or the limit represented by the distance between opposite ends of the needles the said needles being centrally pivoted. On each of these, contact plugs g, /L, i, j, in, Z, m and nare pro vided adapted to fit into perforations, and

adapted to be engaged by the needles when in certain positions, the electrical connection connected to the plug is. The plug 2' is connected to the plug j, while the plug m is connected to the plug a. The plug gis then connected by "a conductor 8 with one side of the line, while the plug it is connected with the opposite side by a conductor t.

A conductor it connects the plug 2' with one side of the motor E while a conductor 2 connects the opposite side of the motor with the plug m. The connections having been thus made, and the pairs of plugs placed a determined distance apart so that connections will be made when the voltage exceeds the plugs,-the operation will be as follows: If the needle starts at normal position, and

the voltage through the electrodes begins to increase, which means that the distance between the ends of the electrodes is widening, the needles will finally come into the position illustrated in Fig. 4, connecting the plugs 11 and h, Z and-ml A part of the current of the dynamo 0 will'then'flow through the conductor 8 to the plug Z, through the needle I), conductor 2) to the motor E through ilihQCOndllC tOr u to plug 2', through the needle a to plug it and through the conductor 2, to 0 the opposite side of the dynamo, operating the electric motor E and moving the electrodeinwardly. As it does this, the voltage will drop and when it is moved below the determined limits the galvanon'ieter needles will move to the reverse position connecting the plug 9 with .the plug j and the plug is with-the plug n. In this case, tl1e.current from the one side of the dynamo 0 will flow through .the conductor 8 to the plug y through the needlea to the plug j, through the conductor u to the motor E, beingthu side of the line. This willo erate t e motor in the reverse direction, e eetin a With- 60 drawal of the electrodes}, There wi 1 thus be in operation, a continually reversing of the current through the motor E, the result of which will be to maintain the electrodes substantially in normal position.

When the melted ore, which, if-desird,

links 23 and inclined downwardly toward.

ents. sucli asthe metals, will by gravity, rollh C thus be seen that the apparatus above de-l' scribed providesa very simple means of through a suitable hopper J on to the elec{ electrodcs, and on dropping intothe quench-l.

be made Without departing from the spirit" may be partially reduced'by the carbon of the electrodes, (01' suitable reagent mixed with the ore) passes between the electrodes it is adapted to fall directly into the quenching tank H containing a suitable quenching liquid such as water, and means are provided for separating the lighter from the heavier constituents. The means I have illustrated to accomplish this, comprise. a' shaker plate I pivotally supported from the end 24 of said plate being located a short distance beneath the top of the surface of g the liquid, and preferably being perforated whereby the water will offer less resistance,',, to its movement. This plate may be recip- I rocated by any suitable means. In the form illustrated, a link 25 connects one of the links 23 with a crank 26 on the shaft 27 ro-- tate d by any suitable means. Above the 5 shaker plate and near the end Qfila nozzleQS 1' is provideddischarging toward the opposite end of the shaker plate and conneetedwith surface of the shaker plate and out they,

trough 31 to any suitable settling tank. (not v shown), and the lighter constituents of the ore. such as the sla will pass out through the trough 31', whi e the heavier constitu;

down the shaker plate into the tank l-L-the-i Qqlh quenching liquid causing the metal to so lid-v ify in the form of small globulesflt will effecting the reduction and separation of the, 9 1 valuable constituents such as the metals of i an orefrom the more or less Yalueless co r stituents such as the slag 4 In using the furnace the ore is first brought to a finely ,divi'ded state and fed trodes. It is here reduced both by the action of the electric arc and'the carbon in'the iugbasiii, the lighter material andslag is carried away by the stream of liquid, while I the heavier. constituents. collect in globulin form in the quenching tank H. i v

As many changes ,could be made in the above invention and many apparently f widely different embodiments of my inven tion, within the scope ofthe claim'scould":

or scope thereof, 'itis intended thatall mat 'j ter contained in theaccompanying 'specifi-f cation and drawings shall be interpreted:

as illustrative and not in a limiting sense;

What I claim as my invention is l. The combination. with suitable eleotrodes, of means therebelow adapted to-re-f' ceive the material passing off the same and 'to separate the lighter from the heavier trodes, of a quenching tank below the'sam'e,

.constituents.

an inclined shaker plate below the surface of the liquid in the quenching tankand. means for creating a current of liquid over the shaker plate. 7 j a 5. The combination, with suitable elec-' trodes, of a quenching'tankbelow-the same,

a foraminous shaker plate below the surface 'ofthe liquid, mthe quenclnng tank and. means for creating a current of liquid oyer the shaker plate.

6. In an electric furnace, the combination with the'elctrOdes of a quenching tank below the same, into'whicli the molten material passing through the electrodes 'is adapted to dro and means for maintaining a condens currentof liquid in the top of the quenching tank to carry ofi' the-lighter.

-constitueirts; of the material dropping into thesame,

'7. In an electric furnace, a fixed electrode and :bppositely disposedadjustable electrodes above the same adapted therewith to form'a hopper to receive the ore.

8; In an electric furnace, the combination with afixed, longitudinally extending electrode, of. a plurality ofabutting, inclined rent whenever it electrodes on each side thereof adapted, u

therewith, to form a-hopper to receive the ore. Y

'9. An electric. furnace comprising a suitable masonry structure having a longitudinally-extending beam, a fixed electrode supported .on the beam, and adjustable elec- I trodes forming with the fixed electrode a v hopper to receive the ore.

10. In an electric furnace, a pail of electrodes of opposite polarity'adapted to retain unmelt ed material between their extremities,

an electric motor mechanically connected toone of the electrodes adapted to move the same inwardly and outwardly and means for reversing the current whenever the vol- 'tage exceeds determined llmltS,

ll. In an electric furnace, a pair of electrodes of opposite polarity adapted to retain unmelted' material between their extremities,

anelectric motor mechanically connected to: oi sle of the electrodes adapted tomove the sanae inwardly and outwardly,"a galvanometer connected across the electrodes and" means operated by the needle thereof for reversing the current.

12. In an electric furnace, the combination with an electrode, of an electricmotor.op eratlvely connected to the electrode adapted to move the same outwardlyand inwardly,

a'double needle. galvanometer adapted to measure the current passing through the electrode and means operated by the needles of the galv'anoineter for reversing the cur! v passes a determined hmit in eithendirection.

e In witness 'whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the resenc'e of, two witnesses.

Witnesses;

"Russel. SYSuenr,

- wa new =1 

